Pubdate: Thu, 22 Feb 2007
Source: Daily Progress, The (VA)
Copyright: 2007 Media General Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.dailyprogress.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1545
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

LOUISA MAN INDICTED ON FEDERAL POT CHARGES

A federal grand jury handed down a three-count indictment Thursday 
charging a Louisa County man in connection with a July marijuana bust.

Geoffrey Alan Cummings, 53, is charged in U.S. District Court with 
manufacturing 100 or more marijuana plants, possession of a firearm 
as a convicted felon and possession with the intent to distribute.

The maximum penalty is life in prison and a $2.5 million fine.

Cummings faces a minimum mandatory 10-year prison sentence if found 
guilty because he was previously convicted of drug trafficking in New 
York, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Roanoke.

If he's convicted of an additional forfeiture allegation, Cummings 
could lose his property on Mt. Airy Road, prosecutors said.

The Louisa County Sheriff's Office, the Virginia State Police, the 
Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisa County Commonwealth's 
Attorney's Office, the Virginia National Guard and the Virginia 
Alcohol Beverage Control Board all helped investigate.

Magistrate Judge B. Waugh Crigler has ordered Cummings held without 
bond at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

Text Of U.S. Attorney John L. Brownlee's Statement:

"United States Attorney John L. Brownlee announced today that 
Geoffrey Alan Cummings, age 53, of Louisa, Virginia, was arrested 
today after being indicted by a federal Grand Jury sitting in 
Charlottesville, Virginia.

Cummings was charged in a three count indictment with manufacturing 
100 or more marijuana plants, possession of a firearm by a convicted 
felon, and possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. The 
indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation whereby Cummings 
could forfeit his property on Mt. Airy Road in Louisa if he is 
convicted of any drug-related charge.

The investigation began in July, 2006, when officers spotted four 
plots containing over 300 marijuana plants on Cummings' property 
during a routine fly over by a Virginia State Police helicopter. Some 
of the plants were ten to twelve feet in height. Agents later 
executed a search warrant at Cummings' home and seized packaged 
marijuana and a shotgun.

If convicted on all counts, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of 
life imprisonment and a fine of $2,500,000. Cummings faces a minimum 
statutory sentence of ten years because he has a prior drug 
trafficking conviction in New York.

Cummings appeared in United States District Court in Charlottesville 
on Thursday afternoon for an initial appearance and bond hearing. 
Cummings was ordered to be detained without bond by Judge Waugh Crigler.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Louisa Sheriff's 
Department, the Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement 
Administration, the Louisa Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, the 
Virginia National Guard and the Virginia ABC Board. Assistant United 
States Attorney Rusty Fitzgerald will prosecute the case.

A Grand Jury indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. 
The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the 
government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."
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